


Black Bird

by ShellyC9



Series: Black Bird [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Been meaning to give her one for a while but couldn't think of the right one, F/M, Farmer also has unresolved issues, Farmer is trying her best, I apologise on my farmers behalf, Shane is an ass, She forgives way too easily, She officially has a name, You Have Been Warned, as a character she's a pain in the ass to write, final chapter will contain smut, more tags to be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 23:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6829831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyC9/pseuds/ShellyC9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New to town, the new farmer, Victoria, is trying her best to integrate as part of the community and build friendships with everyone. Shane notices that things may not all be as they seem. She's hiding something but what?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet and Greet

Shane

Get up, go to work, go to the saloon, and collapse into bed drunk. It was always the same. Day after day. Recently though he had noticed a buzz. Whispers about a newbie moving into town and moving onto that shit tip of a farm to the north of his house. Shane couldn’t care less though. It was just another face he had to get used to seeing. The only time he would ever seem remotely interested in the newbie is when Jas would talk about them; about if they were a boy or a girl, if they would play with her if they had time. He enjoyed seeing her happy. If they ever made Jas upset, he would never forgive or forget.

And so came the day they arrived. He was already in work by the time they were supposed to arrive. He was sure Marnie would tell him all about it that evening at the Saloon. Until then it was just lifting, shelving and avoiding Morris as much as possible.

Victoria

After settling in at her new home, a feeling of dread hung over Victoria. What had she gotten herself into? It was forest out there. She only had a few parsnips and 500g to get herself started. Maybe she should have worked more and saved up. But nevertheless it was done and she had to live with it. The Farmer spent the rest of the day clearing out as much room as possible. She wanted to get as much space cleared for more crops and hopefully a chicken coop soon. The lady who had met her at the bus stop - Robin was her name, right? – was a carpenter. She mentioned house upgrades when helping her settle. Surely she must be able to build a chicken coop.

By the time she had finished clearing up the mess that took over the area immediately outside her house, it was 6pm. She was hoping to try and introduce her to a majority of people in town before night fell. It was getting late and it could take 10-20 minutes to get into town. Victoria scolded herself for not keeping an eye on the time. While speed walking into town, Victoria could feel the butterflies spreading within her stomach. _What if they hate me? What if they don’t wanna know me?_ After everything that had happened in recent years, all Victoria wanted was a bit of peace and quiet. A nice home to call her home with good friends near by. Maybe even a partner in the future. The fear that people would hate her had rooted deep within her as she made her way to a building, which seemed to have a lot of noise coming from it. A gentle mixture of music and happy voices. _The Stardrop Saloon_. What a pretty sounding name. She stood outside the door with a shaking hand on the handle. After taking one deep breath, Victoria decided to take the plunge and opened the door.

Greeted by a gentle warmth, Victoria noticed that all eyes were suddenly upon her. Some more wary than others. The silence was only broken when the lovely blue haired bartender came from behind the bar and introduced herself. One by one the towns people introduced themselves and tried to engage in small talk. Clint, Pam, Gus, Harvey, Marnie…They made her feel welcome. Fear dissaparating, Victoria felt her smile grow bigger and the conversations flowed. Marnie was the one she spoke to the most. An owner and lover of farm animals, Marnie told her all about the chickens, cows and goats she had on her farm and how she much she loved them. The two discussed for a few hours the best ways to care for animals and the proper construction of their homes, giving Victoria ideas as to how she should have her coops and barns. Eventually, Victoria grew tired and was ready to depart and sleep soundly in her new house. She was in the midst of saying her goodbyes when something, or rather someone, caught her eye.

There was a man standing by the fireplace that Victoria hadn’t noticed before. He leant against the wall with his eyes closed and face scrunched into a scowl. His purple hair seemed to shimmer in the firelight, which entranced her. Cautiously, she slowly made her way over to introduce herself, her eyes fixed upon his hair.

“Hi I’m-“ 

“I don’t know you. Leave me alone.”

The fear returned. Victoria turned around and made her way to the front door, trying to keep her tears and disappointment from showing on her face. Before pulling the door open, she noticed the woman, who had introduced herself as Marnie, had begun to stare at the man and she seemed to be scolding him with her eyes.

 

Shane

He was in big trouble. Marnie’s face was enough to strike fear into him. She’d never looked at him like that before. She stared at him like that for the rest of the evening. Eventually he decided it was time to face the music and went to leave, Marnie following close behind. They walked in silence up until their ranch when Marnie rounded on him, stopping him from entering the house.

“Do you feel better for that? For upsetting that girl?” The feeling of shame was pooling slowly. “That poor girl needs a friend right now and you go and ruin her day like that. You could tell how scared she was when she walked into that saloon. You couldn’t be nice for two minutes.” Shane didn’t say a word. He couldn’t even look Marnie in the eye. After a minute or so of silence, Marnie went inside without saying a word. Shane entered and locked the door behind him and Marnie had disappeared off to her room. Shane didn’t sleep that night. The shame was too heavy in his stomach.


	2. Birthday Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been sat on my desktop so I've decided to upload instead of waiting. I may also upload the third chapter before I go to sleep tonight. Possibly around 11PM GMT. Enjoy!

Victoria

It had been over two weeks since the Farmer had first moved. She was starting to settle and friendships were blossoming. She had quickly grown attached to Harvey, Elliott, Marnie, Jas, Emily and Penny and she had learnt a great deal about everyone in town but not very much about the man at the bar except that his name was Shane. Marnie had apologised to her on his behalf, explaining that he was her nephew and he had trouble opening up to people. The next time she had seen him was the egg festival where she had tried to stay away from him but ended up feeling guilty for doing so.

In the mornings, Victoria enjoyed walking slowly into town and checking the bulletin board for birthdays and favours. One particular morning, Victoria had awoken earlier than normal. Heading into town around 7.45am, Victoria slowly made her way into the sleepy village. At the board, she took note of a job that Pam wanted done for her and quickly glanced over to the calendar. Spring 20. Shane’s Birthday. She had been getting everyone else gifts for their birthdays so it wasn’t fair to leave him out. She could hear footsteps behind her, causing her to swivel so fast she stumbled a little. It was Shane. He looked and her and she stared back, not willing to back down. She had avoided him since they first met and she had started to feel bad about it. She wanted to be his friend. She truly did but she knew that she couldn’t force friendship upon him. The only way she thought that it might work is through gentle force, hence why she didn’t want to back down. After what seemed hours, Shane was the one who broke eye contact, trudging his way towards Joja Mart. Victoria stood there for another moment, contemplating whether she should have said something, before turning and heading back towards the farm.

 

Shane

Fuck. He didn’t realise that she would be there. Marnie had said she apologised for him but it still didn’t relieve him of the feeling of shame. It had stayed with him since that night, continuously disturbing his sleep. The fact that she wouldn’t speak or go near him made it even more difficult to say sorry. He guessed he could go see her at her farm but it was going to her when she was there. He should have said something just then but the shock of seeing her so early caught him off guard.

Over the past two weeks, she seemed to have fit straight in. Jas had fallen in love with the farmer, he'd discovered her name was Victoria, and enjoyed telling Shane about their adventures when she had the chance. He was glad that she had someone to go to when he and Aunt Marnie weren’t around.

He spent the day grumpier than normal, still feeling like shit about the situation with Victoria. Normally it wouldn’t affect him like this but Aunt Marnie’s comments made the situation worse and the fact that she’d apologised for him made his skin crawl. He should have done it. After work he was determined to find her and apologise. Maybe then his feelings would settle and he could go back to being his usual self. _She’ll still hate you. Why would she accept your apology_? Scrunching his hands into fists, he walked past the Saloon and towards home. He had noted that Victoria liked to go visit Marnie and Jas before going to the Saloon so hoped that he could catch her. His intuition was right. There she was. Just leaving his house, calling out her goodbyes to those inside. She shut the door and turned to face him. She stepped backwards as if to want to walk away from him.

 “Hey…ummm…I’m sorry about the way I spoke to you the night you moved.” He shuffled his feet slightly. Victoria stood silently, listening to what he had to say. “I remember how it was for me when I moved here. I should have remembered on that night and not been such of an ass.” He looked at her in hopes that she would finally say something. Shout at him. Anything. He just wanted a response. Victoria looked at him carefully before pulling her backpack off her back and reaching inside. She pulled out…a pizza? She held it out to him and smiled.

“Happy Birthday.” He took it, giving her a confused look. “Sorry it’s a bit of a cheap gift. I couldn’t think what else you would like. I was planning on giving it to you at the Saloon this evening but I guess now a good time as any. See you at the Saloon?” She’d remembered his birthday? After he was such a dick to her? Why? Shocked, he nodded slightly. “Er…yeah…I’ll see you there.” Grinning, she walked passed him back towards town. Something fluttered in his chest and he felt his ears start to burn. He tried to push the feeling away and turned towards his house. _This will do nicely for after a drink tonight._ The entire time he never realised that a shy smile was plastered on his face.

 

Victoria

At the Saloon that evening, she’d agreed to meet up with Harvey, Elliott and Penny. She enjoyed their company and loved hearing about Elliott’s book, Harvey’s day in the clinic and Penny’s day teaching the kids. After a day of slaving on the farm, listening to them was her little escape. She sat at the table in the corner with Penny who was always the first one there. Marnie sat on the table next to them as usual, Pam at the bar with Gus and Emily working. Shane was nowhere to be seen. He’d said that he would come tonight. She wondered whether he would sit with them. Probably not.

The boys arrived, everyone got settled and the conversations flowed. Victoria decided that this was the perfect opportunity to ask about Elliott’s book as she always did.

“So Elliott how’s the book coming along?” Elliot’s eyes brightened at the question.

“It’s going very well thank you! Now I have a genre and I’ve written base notes, I’ve been able to write a lot!”

“That’s great!!”

“I’m thinking of holding a reading at the library once I’m finished. What do you think?”

“I think that would be a great idea.” Harvey and Penny agreed and the three of them kept talking about Elliott’s book whilst the Farmer had a swig of her drink. The door to the Saloon and Shane wandered in, casting a glance over to the farmer and then resuming his position over by the fireplace. Penny spoke but to the Farmer, all she heard was a mumble.

“Hmm? Sorry I didn’t catch that.”

“I said that Jas has been talking about you a lot recently.” This statement caught Victoria by surprise but pleased her nonetheless.

“Oh really?”

“She has! You seem to have had a really positive influence on her! Its great to see.”

“Good. I’m glad. It’s kinda nice having someone look up to you.” Noticing that Harvey had been a little quieter than usual, Victoria turned to him.

“So Harvey…how was work?” Harvey thought for a moment before slowly turning his whole body to face her.

“You know…we never hear anything about you. You’re a very closed person.” Another statement which caught her by surprise, this time for the wrong reasons.

“I think its time you told us more about you! What was it like in the city? I’m sure you have loads of stories!”

“Er…no. its was pretty boring there I don’t have many stories.” She fake chuckled. Even she could tell that was a bad lie. She didn’t get away with it. They kept badgering her for answers. Her anger kept rising. She didn’t want to lose her temper but she didn’t want to talk about her time in the city. They were asking about the nightlife, violence in the city, quality of life…her previous boyfriends. _No. Enough._

Slamming the empty glass down on the table and standing, Victoria mumbled her goodbyes and left. Leaving the entire bar in silent confusion, she stormed home. They weren’t ready to know. Hell she might not ever tell them. It was a part of her that she wanted to leave behind and for damn good reason too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SUPPOSED TO BE REVISING FOR AN EXAM GOD DAMN IT WHAT AM I DOING


	3. Buh...Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know I said only one more but its probably going to be another two...my brains been going a million miles an hour all day and this is the product. FFS...

Shane

After the incident at the bar the other evening, Victoria had been seen less and less in town. People had seen her entering the mines and not coming out until many hours later, usually battered and bruised. Emily said that she’d managed to catch Victoria as she was coming to work to ask her if she was okay and all she had managed to get out of her was a tired smile. Everyone was worried. Penny, Elliott and Harvey had been trying to catch her and apologise for whatever they did to make her so upset but she obviously wasn’t ready. She avoided the centre of town as much as she could, especially during the day.

Going to the Saloon wasn’t a fun place to go to after that evening. Everyone was tense, forever hoping that it would be Victoria that would be the one to enter. After work he walked by the Saloon and paused. He then decide that he couldn’t be bothered to go in and deal with another night of anxious people. Instead he was going to be by himself and a night at the dock drinking should be the best place for him.

 

Victoria

It was late when Victoria left the mines. She had completely lost all sense of time which wasn’t too hard at 40 levels down. Wanting to check the southern part of her farm before going to bed, she decided to take the route that lead past Marnie’s ranch. The town was seemed to be sleeping except for the usual noise that came from the Saloon. She wondered if Shane was there, the temptation to go in and see was high. _Why would he want to see you?_ Scowl imprinted on her face, she carried on past the Saloon towards Marnie’s. Before turning up towards her farm, she saw a glint of purple hair down by the small lake. Her feet carried her over though her head protested. Stepping onto the boardwalk, Shane’s ears seemed to prick up.

“Up late, huh?” He said without looking at her. Victoria sat herself down next to Shane and stared out over the lake.

“Here,” Shane offered, handing her a beer. “Have a cold one.” She took it cautiously and gave Shane a sidewards glace, looking for any trace of the hate he usually gave her. But she found none.

“Buh… Life.” He took a sip of his beer and Victoria couldn’t help but wonder whether she should say something. But what? What could she say? She could do nothing but look at him, trying to search for answers for his change of attitude. That was when Shane spoke once more.

“You ever feel like… no matter what you do, you’re just gonna fail?” He asked. “Like you’re stuck in some miserable abyss and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day? I just feel like like no matter how hard I try… I’m not strong enough to climb out of that hole.” Her heart dropped. The thought of Shane feeling like this made her sick to her stomach. She couldn’t think of what to say in this situation without wanting to hug him so instead she tipped her head back and downed the entirety of her beer. After finishing it and crushing the can, She turned her head to see Shane looking at her with something akin to fondness in his eyes.

“Fast drinker, huh?” He smiled. “Woman after my own heart. Just don’t make it a habit. You got a future ahead of you still.” The smile dropped and he turned, once more facing out towards the lake and staring into the abyss.

She wanted to desperately reach out and hug him but she didn’t want to upset him in anyway. The thought that Shane felt trapped filled her with dread. She wanted to help him. She had a little think. She hatched a little plan. After another five minutes of them both sitting in silence staring out of the lake, Shane went to stand.

“Welp,” he said, getting up, “my liver’s begging me to stop. Better call it a night.”

“Goodnight, Shane.”

“See you around, Farmer.” She waited till he had gone inside the ranch before standing and running home.

Victoria completely forgot about anything she needed to do on the farm that evening. Storming back inside the house, she picked up her phone and gathered some documents from a file box in the cupboard. She knew what she needed to do.

 

 

Shane

The noise of his alarm jerked him away from restless sleep. He slowly rose and got ready for work. The same old routine. However this morning he noticed Victoria wasn’t at the bulletin board, he couldn’t help feel disappointed. She had become part of this little routine. He got to work and was greeted by Morris who, as usual, had a sickening grin on his face. Shane prepared to start stocking shelves when he was stopped by Morris.

“Shane. Today we are being visited by people from the high offices. My managers. We want a good report to come out of today so please remember your training.” Before Shane could respond Morris turned round and scuttled away back to his desk where he tidied and organised in preparation for his bosses. Remember my training. Ill shove the training up your ass one day. Shane tried to stay as close to the entrance as possible so that he could keep an eye on when the managers from the city came in. Every person made him jump thinking it could have been them. Eventually around 12.30 they showed up. Three men. High end pompous gits from the big city just as Shane had pictured them. He remembered to put a smile on his face and slowed down his work to make sure that he could hear all exchanges between Morris and the bosses.

“Good afternoon! I’m Mor—“

“We know who you are.” Shane paused. Morris’ face dropped a little. He looked a little frightened in all honesty. “We are here to catch up with you and your training. Our records show that you did not show up to the last training day which, as you may know, does not look well on your company record.” Morris stammered. He tried to explain that he couldn’t shut down the store for one day just so he could train, that it would be bad for sales. The bosses didn’t look impressed.

“We have decided that this weekend you shall be sent to a training facility in the big city. The store shall be shut down for the entirety after which you shall be expected to try and reach the target sales that were missed for those days. Furthermore we are going to have a senior staff member write a report on you which shall highlight your points of concern to the training facility. Thankfully it wasn’t difficult to find someone who can do this. In fact a member of our team lives in this little town and she seemed more than willing to help out.” A Joja senior member lives in pelican town? It couldn’t be? It was. Victoria walked into Joja dressed professionally. She was barley recognisable.

“Good afternoon Morris! I’m going to be shadowing you for a few days to make observations. I hope it’s an enjoyable experience for us both.” Victoria grinned but her eyes were showing a whole different set of emotions. It was scary to behold. The bosses said their goodbyes to both Morris and Victoria before leaving, though he could have sworn that one of the men looked back at the Victoria and winked. Something which made something in his stomach turn. Shaking off the thought, the rest of Shane’s working day was spent watching Victoria trail Morris around whilst seemingly terrifying the crap out of him.

 

Victoria

She may have enjoyed scaring the shit out of Morris a little too much. She left before Shane did so that she could quickly get home and type her report to send to head office. She was coming close to her house when she heard the phone ringing. Rushing inside and grabbing her mobile, she knew exactly who it would be.

“Please tell me you scarred him for life?” Victoria let out a huge laugh.

"I’ve not had that much fun in a long time. You should let me do that more often.” Matt, one of the men who had shown up, was a friend of hers from when she worked at Joja in the city and called him last night for a favour. Thankfully Morris’ record helped the situation. The two stayed on the phone for an hour before Victoria had to put the phone down and go sort out the animals. It was nice to catch up with someone from the city. That night she slept soundly for the first time since she’d moved.


	4. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is the final one for tonight. Its roughly 11PM here and I'm starting get sleepy (though it could be the cider taking effect) nevertheless enjoy!

Shane

With Joja mart closed for the weekend, He spent the time given with Marnie and Jas, helping look after the animals and spending some much needed time as a ‘family’.

Victoria had been into the ranch and informed Marnie exactly what had happened. After the exchange down by the lake, the Farmer had gone home and phoned a friend from within Joja. It turns out she’d not actually left her post, rather put in on hold. Victoria used to be a senior member of the big Joja team in the big city and she was head of the training department. Though she left the head trainer position, she stayed on as a trainer and would occasionally step in to help. Morris was apparently one of those she had trained in the past. Apparently he was always a bit of a jerk. Of course as soon as she realised that Morris was the supervisor at Joja in town, she wanted to cause havoc. She did it well. Shane noticed that after Victoria had left on the Friday that Morris started swearing as soon as she was out of the building. The hate for her was real and it made Shane laugh.

That Friday, Jas had asked Victoria if she could stay with her one night over the weekend and she had said yes. Saturday night came and went with Victoria dropping her off back at the ranch by midday the following day. Jas looked so happy however Victoria seemed a little off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Marnie and Victoria engaged in a little small talk before saying her goodbyes and heading off back to her farm. By late evening, Shane still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and decided to try and see whether Jas knew anything. At the dinner table, Jas was telling them all about her stay with Victoria. The food she’d had and the games they’d played. Jas told them all about the library that she apparently owned.

“So how much sleep did you actually get?” Marnie asked with a sly smile on her face.

“Oh I got a lot of sleep. I did have a nightmare but Victoria sang me back to sleep! She’s an amazing singer Aunt Marnie!” Something in her face changed. ”Although I don’t think she sleeps very much.” Marnie looked at the child with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“What do you mean sweetheart?”

“Well…I woke up sometime before my nightmare to use the bathroom and…she was crying and talking to a picture.” The concern in Marnies face grew.

“Talking to a picture?”

“Yup. It was a picture of a man. He looked nice.” Jas yawned and sat back in her chair. Tiredness hit the child like a tonne of bricks.

“I guess its bed time for you little miss!” Marnie chuckled to herself and collected the child in her arms. “Say goodnight to Shane.” Jas sleepily mumbled her goodnight before being taken swiftly to bed, leaving Shane to his thoughts for just a few moments. _A guy? Did she have a boyfriend? Had he broken up with her? Or was it the other way round?_ He didn’t want to ask her for fear of upsetting her.

“I’m going to go see her tomorrow to see if she’s okay.” He hadn’t even noticed that Marnie had re-entered the room.

“Oh okay…”

“I can see that you’re worried about her.” Shane felt his face begin to burn a bright red.  
“N-Not as much as you think!” Walking towards his room, he heard Marnie chuckle behind him.

“Okay dear.”

“I mean it!” He faced her and she faced him, she was trying to give him her best ‘mother’ face.

“I understand if you don’t want to admit it right now but its clear to see that you care a great deal. All I ask is if you do feel the way I think you do, you will tell her. She seems to be warming up to you too.” What she had said had made him think. Could he like her? _She wouldn’t like you back. She’s too good for you_. The thoughts hit him like a hammer to the chest. He tried not to show his feelings too much.

“Okay Aunt Marnie. See you in the morning” He shut the door and climbed into bed, his sleep broken out of concern for his friend.

Marnie

She was glad that Shane had finally started opening up to someone even if he wouldn’t admit his feelings just yet. Marnie was enjoying the midday walk up to the Farmer’s home, she could hear the sleepy clucking of the chickens who had decided to nap in the sunshine. The door to the farmhouse was open and Marnie could see Victoria inside cleaning. In attempt to catch Victoria's eye, Marnie waved. It worked.

“Marnie! Its good to see you! How are you?” Victoria beamed at her.

“I’m good! I see you now have a kitchen.”

“That I do! Robin finished it off last night so I’m organising everything to make sure it’s all in its proper place.” Dying to use the kitchen, Victoria made Marnie a drink and a snack before they got settled on one of her couches.

“That’s good. Listen. I came over because I would like to talk to you about something.” Victoria's face dropped. There was no colour in her cheeks and her eyes became serious.

“Oh?”

“The other night when Jas stayed…she said that she heard you talking and crying to a picture of a man. I wanted to know if everything’s alright or if you need someone to talk to.” All colour left her face. Her eyes seemed to desperately scream out in rejection to talking about it. After a minute or so, Victoria let out a defeated sigh and went to her room. She came back not a second or two after, picture in hand.

“I guess I might as well tell you.” Victoria held out the photo to Marnie, which she accepted and she could see what Jas meant by he looked nice. Kind eyes stared out at her. The photo was of the Farmer and this gentleman together in an embrace. She looked so happy.

“This is Rhys. He was my long term partner when I lived in the city…” _Was._

“What happened between you two?” Victoria sat down on the couch opposite.

“He died.” Marnie froze. “We were on a date celebrating his promotion at work. He was so happy. We didn’t usually walk home however it was a warm evening, we thought it would be a nice walk…hmph….how wrong we were” Marnie didn’t know whether she wanted to hear any more but Victoria kept talking.

“About five minutes away from our home, we were ambushed and pulled into a side alley by some people. Gang members from what the police said afterwards. There they proceeded to hit me in an attempt to get Rhys riled up. Of course it worked and when he fought back…they stabbed him. Six times. As he was dying, they then turned the knife on me…”

Marnie wanted to tell her to stop talking but the words wouldn’t form. Victoria lifted up her shirt slightly, showing Marnie three large distinctive scars on her stomach. “They only got me three times before they heard the police sirens getting close. They scarpered then. I managed to pull myself to him and hold his hand before he died. But he died not knowing if I’d survived or died with him and I couldn’t protect him.”

Victoria begun crying. Her eyes screaming so many emotions, from scared to anger. Marnie sat next to her and held her. She didn’t know what to say. “I-I was in a damn tight dress and there were too many to fight. I tried my best, I really did. I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t strong enough and I lost him. I-its all my fault!” Victoria sobbed harder and all Marnie could do was hold the girl. For an hour or so, they sat there in silence whilst she cried, letting go all the emotion she must have tried to keep bottled up.

“I’m so sorry…” That’s all she could say. She couldn’t bear to think how she must have felt. Victoria mumbled something about wanting some time to herself. Marnie took her leave giving Victoria one last hug before she went.

Marnie walked home, she couldn’t quite believe what she had just heard. She must have still had the look of pure shock on her face because when she walked in, Shane knew something was immediately wrong. Jas must have been with Penny or at Vincent’s, as she didn’t greet Marnie like she usually did.

“Whats wrong? Did she tell you?” Shane stood in front of her with pure concern plastered to his face. Marnie couldn’t look him in the eye.

“…She did…lets sit at the kitchen table.” Walking slowly into the kitchen, Marnie sat down at the chair closest to the door. Shane quickly darted round and sat at the chair opposite, eager to hear what had happened.

“Shane…She had a partner before she came to Pelican Town…and…it didn’t end well.” Shane’s face became a mix of emotions before he settled on stern.

“What happened between them?” Marnie took a deep breath before continuing.

“They were out on a date together when they were ambushed and attacked. Both of them were stabbed multiple times and she was beaten up.” Shane sat up straight. The stern look that was there before was taken over by horror. “He didn’t make it. She blames herself…” She paused and looked at the floor. The girl who had seemed so cheerful, who was willing to do anything for her neighbours, had to go through something like that.

“That poor girl…” After another moment of sitting in silence, Shane stood and went for the door. Marnie grabbed his arms and he turned round with a look of anger on his face, searching hers for some sort of explanation as to why she had stopped him.

“No Shane. You can't.”

“Tell me why not?! She obviously needs someone right now!”

“She needs time to grieve. I don’t think she’s had much time to with moving to that farm. Go and see her tomorrow instead. Let her be for now.” Scowling, Shane took himself to his room and slammed the door where he stayed for the entire night. Marnie acted like her normal self when Jas came home but went to sleep that night desperately wishing that there were some way she could help the farmer to cope. She doubted it.

 

Victoria

That night Victoria couldn’t sleep. She’d had a full on meltdown in front of Marnie and she felt so embarrassed. She’d told herself that she’d keep things to herself but she couldn’t have gotten out of that conversation. Not if Jas had seen. Of course Marnie would be concerned about her. That was just the way Marnie is. All of a sudden, one thought decided to smack her round the head. _What if she’s told Shane? Oh god._ The shame of him knowing. Of anyone knowing. They’d never look at her the same again. She didn’t know if she could handle that. That night she didn’t sleep. She stared at the ceiling for hours, forever wondering what would happen if Shane, or anyone else for that matter, found out everything.


	5. Visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT PUTTING THIS UP SOONER! I got a job recently so they've been training me. Ive been so tired when I've gotten home that I've just fallen asleep and not done any writing. I'll try my best to keep updating!!  
> So sorry!!!

Victoria

A few weeks had passed since her meltdown and everything seemed normal. Shane had popped round the day after to make sure she was okay before taking Jas to the park. If Marnie had told him about their talk, she must have also told him not to bug her about the situation or something along those lines. He seemed to understand that she needed space, which she very much appreciated. The Flower Dance came and went and summer was soon upon them. This gave Victoria the perfect idea. She decided to throw a beach party. Sure there was the Luau and the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies to look forward to but she wanted to throw something big. Looking at the calendar, Victoria made note of Jas’ birthday. Summer 4th. Perfect.

She had discussed with Marnie plans for Jas’ birthday. She was hoping for a secret beach party with only the children not knowing. Everyone in town thought it was a great idea and all wanted to contribute to the party. The day before the party Victoria went to the ranch and asked Jas if she wanted to spend tomorrow morning with her which she wholeheartedly agreed to. In the mean time, the entire town would be down at the beach making all the last minute preparations for the birthday princess.

 

“Happy birthday to youuu!!!” She sang. An excited Jas stood on the doorstep to the Ranch with Marnie and Shane stood behind her. She had decided to treat Jas with a morning adventuring in the forest and had even brought her horse along.

“Aunt Marnie look!!!” Jas ran out as Victoria jumped from the horse. Marnie followed Jas out and Shane leant against the doorframe.

“I thought the birthday princess would love a special ride. What do you think?” Jas was struck speechless.

“As long as you’re careful, its fine.” All Jas could respond with is squealing. Victoria collected Jas into her arms and sat her on the horse carefully before jumping on herself.

“We’ll see you later!”

“Bye for now!” Turning the horse to face away from the Ranch, Victoria looked back to see Shane and Marnie collecting presents and other bags. They spent that morning trotting through the forest gathering as much as they could. Eventually Victoria received a text from Shane. _We’re ready_. Popping her phone back in her pocket, Victoria turned the horse and set off towards town.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see…” They continued into town, past Sam’s and Emily’s homes before finally turning towards the beach. Victoria pulled the horse to a stop and jumped down. She held her arms out to Jas, who practically threw herself off the horse.

“Ready?” Victoria gently popped the child on the ground and held her hand. Jas didn’t respond but couldn’t take her eyes away from the direction of the beach.

Letting go of Jas’ hand, they both ran to the beach where they were met with cheers from everyone and a chorus of happy birthdays. Victoria had never seen Jas look so happy. Jas ran off to be with everyone and in the mix of people, Shane stood out to Victoria. His smile seemed genuine and his cheeks had a light shading of pink to them. Victoria smiled back at him and she turned her attention back to everyone just as Gus and Clint brought Jas her birthday cake. Out of the corner of her eye, She could still make out Shane watching her.

 

Shane

Everyone was there just as planned. They had really put all their effort in for Jas. It made him so happy to see it and it was all thanks to Victoria. As soon as they had both run onto the beach, he couldn’t help but stare at Victoria. Her hair flowed like silk behind her when she walked and the smile on her beautiful face.

_Stop thinking of her like that. She wouldn’t even think of dating someone as pathetic as you._

No. She probably wouldn’t date him. Instead he would watch her from afar. As creepy as that sounded, he could love her from afar and make sure she was happy. That’s all he wanted. He felt a small blush on his cheeks as she looked at him. All she had to do was smile at him and the world already felt a better place.

 

Victoria

The party had gone perfectly. Everyone had eaten their fill, the kids were running around laughing and the adults seemed happy. Victoria sat on the edge of the dock, staring out to the sea. She felt content with how the day had gone. She was so glad she had moved to the Valley. She would never be able to find anything so peaceful in the city. She heard footsteps come towards her.

“You okay down there?” A gentle smile took to her lips. She stood and faced the grumpy purpled haired man, who she had unwittingly gotten close to. She couldn’t tell when and how they had gotten close. Especially after how he’d treated her when she first moved in but she was happy about it all the same.

“I’m okay. I was just thinking how well this all turned out.”

“I heard Vincent wants one too.” She chuckled.

“Of course he does…I better start planning something spectacular then.” She turned back towards the sea and Shane stood at her side, not saying anything. She loved it. She could have stood there forever.

“Well…haven’t you settled in nicely?” She turned toward the source of the voices.

Four familiar bodies stood by the entrance to the beach.

She grinned.

 

Shane

Victoria took off, sprinting down the dock and across the beach. She launched herself at the four people. Shane recognised one of them as the guy from the Joja Mart incident. Three males and a female. Eventually once victoria had calmed down from her excitement, she remembered to introduce them to everyone. Matt, Jeff, Brian and Marie. The townies happily introduced themselves and made them feel welcome. Of course they did. They always do.

The day carried on and eventually the sun started to set. Families started turning in and Jas had fallen asleep on a sun lounger. Eventually the only ones left on the beach were Victoria, her friends, Harvey, Emily, Abigail, Elliot, Sebastian, Leah and Sam. The others were just trying to get information about Victoria out of her friends, which she seemed okay with at first. Eventually Marie mentioned Rhys and victoria’s face turned pale. She went quiet as they were telling everyone about how he had died. About how sad they were about it. How they couldn’t see how uncomfortable they were making Victoria by talking was beyond him. They were supposed to be her friends and yet they continued talking about something that made her visibly upset.

Her whole frame was shaking but Shane couldn’t see her face. He wondered whether she was crying or trying to contain her anger. Her friends just kept talking but he couldn’t bring himself to tell them to stop. They kept on talking; about how smart he was, how kind, how caring, how much he loved Victoria. She snapped.

 

Farmer

“THAT’S ENOUGH.” Her breath had become ragged and her vision blurred slightly due to her anger. Everyone had gone silent. She tried to slow her breathing as much as possible and looked up. Her friends couldn’t look at her. She’d scared them. After all, they remembered how she used to be. What she used to do before she had met Rhys. She hung her head in shame.

“I’m sorry…” Now it was she who couldn’t look. It was silent for a few more seconds before she heard the rustling of clothes and footsteps in the sand. A pair of feet stopped next to her and she looked up.

“Come on…”Matt held out his hand to her. She didn’t understand what he wanted until the music started. Slow and gentle music. Soothing. Taking his hand, she stood with him and he took the lead.

She closed her eyes and let the music flow.

 

Shane

She seemed to glide. The moon and firelight lit up her raven hair. Jeff asked Marie to get up and join in the dancing. Eventually nearly everyone had gone up to dance except for Harvey and Shane. The music flowed, going from slow to fast and back again. Victoria seemed so happy. She was in her element. Watching Matt get to hold her as she danced made his chest feel funny but he tried not to concentrate on that. He focused on her. How her eyes always seemed to tell him a story in some way. How the seemed to gently flow with the music. How she moved so delicately yet so sure footed, even on sand.

He had never seen something so beautiful.


	6. The Past Came Back to Haunt

Victoria

After the beach party, everyone went home. Victoria’s friends had brought camping gear as the men wanted to experience the ‘real outdoors’. She took Marie inside and got her settled in the front room. They made giant makeshift futon out of blankets and duvets. A girly sleepover was just what she needed. At some point during the night, a storm had rolled in and was still overhead the next morning. Victoria and Marie then spent that morning watching the guys chasing one of the tents across the farm. It was the most she’d laughed in a while. Though there was still something sitting in her mind.

 

After what had happened on the beach, Victoria was very wary about letting her friends talk to the locals in case they said too much. Talking about Rhys was an obviously painful subject and having them talk so casually about it without considering her feelings made her wonder whether it was wise for them to stay. Victoria has gone into town that morning to pick up some extra items for breakfast and everyone seems to smile at her as normal but with pity in their eyes. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid. Marnie had known for a while and it was obvious that she’d kept it between her and Shane as they became more caring towards her without giving her pity. She had trusted them and they’d solidified that trust which she was grateful of but it was obvious the same could not be said for those she considered friends from the city.

 

Shane

That evening, Victoria and her friends spent their time at the Saloon. Emily was pleased that there were all these new people to talk to and make friends with…Gus was happy that there were some more people spending money in his saloon. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

The ale and laughter flowed. Multiple conversations were being had and Victoria seemed only happy enough to listen. Until it happened again. All of a sudden, Shane could hear chatter that wasn’t meant to be there. About her time in the city. She had said before that she didn’t want to talk about it and yet there they were. Spilling her secrets.She really couldn’t trust them. The people who she thought as friends were telling people about a time she wished to forget. He wanted to go over there and pull her away. Take her somewhere where she didn’t have to listen. He couldn’t seem move though. He could only watch. Male voices continued to talk.

“Do you remember how scary Vic used to be?”  
“Back in her gang days? Of course I do! She was fucking terrifying! Riding through the city on that bike of hers and fighting all the time.” Everyone else in the saloon had started to go quiet. She didn’t look up. More chatting ensued and eventually Emily spoke up.

“So…Victoria was a gang member huh? Did she have a nick name?”

“Yeah they called her Black Bird because she always seemed to fly through the city on her bike and she was always dressed in black.” The boys were laughing. Shane could tell that Marie looked uncomfortable about the situation. The Saloon sat in silence at the revelation. Was this why she and Rhys had been attacked? Because of her past? Victoria was seemed to be staring at the table. Shane couldn’t tell because her eyes were covered by her hair. Once the laughing had died down the all looked at her, faces dropping because they realised what they had just done. Finally, she lifted her face and stared at the group. Her eyes filled with anger and hatred.

 

Victoria

“Vic! We didn’t mean to! We—“ Victoria stood and held up her right hand, silencing them.

“I want you all gone by the morning. No exceptions.” Turning quickly on her heel, she walked out of the Saloon. She didn’t want to see anyone. She wanted to be alone.

 

Shane

As the door closed behind Victoria, the bar stayed in silence. Her ‘friends’ quickly gathered their belongings and started going after her in an obvious attempt to try and apologise. It was probably too late. They had stepped over a line and Shane wasn’t sure whether Victoria would let it slide that easily. First the stuff with Rhys and now this. He wasn’t sure that he’d see her friends again. No doubt they wouldn’t be invited to town again.

 

Victoria

Morning came. When she awoke at 6am, the tent had already gone and so had their trucks. All that was left of their presence were some footprints in the mud and a note on the door. Once she was dressed and ready for a days work, she opened the door and decided to read the note left for her.

 

_Toria,_

_I understand you are mad at us but also understand that you can run from your past forever. We hope you will forgive us one day. One thing we forgot to mention whilst we were with you was that Angie from work is getting married next week. She wanted to invite you but didn’t have your address so we decided to come visit you and deliver the message. I’ve enclosed the invite in this message._

_We hope you’ll be there._

_Love Marie_

 

Letting out a deep sigh and placing the invite on the coffee table, Victoria decided that she would go. Marie was right. She couldn’t hide forever but she was allowed to be mad at the fact that it was them who told everyone and not her. She would find it hard to trust them again but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t forgive them all the same. Victoria spent that day trying to decide what dress to wear to the wedding and where she was going to get a lovely pair of shoes to match from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a post on Tumblr which was talking about a Stardew Valley fanfic that had a main character whose name was Victoria and they were disappointed that it was rated T. If that person meant this fanfic, all I have to say is that the story isn't finished yet ;)


	7. Black Bird Down

Farmer

Travelling on her bike always made her feel free. This time though, she rode though the city a new woman. Not the one that these streets used to know. They were so familiar to her and yet it seemed like a lifetime ago. Memories came back. The road that Rhys and her had taken that fateful night. She passed it and then realised that her hotel was not far. She needed to go for a walk anyway after all that time on her bike.

The familiar street made her feel sick. She didn’t want to do this but at the same time she felt like she needed to. Staring down the alleyway, she wanted to run as far as she could. The memories flooding back to her. She stepped further into the alley. All her senses were screaming at her to run but she refused to listen. The further she got the worse the feeling got. After getting so far, she decided to was time to go back but it was too late. As she walked away, she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned.

Big mistake.

A set of familiar eyes stared back.

They filled her with dread.

 

Shane

Shane had said that he would look after the Farm. The amount of time the two had spent together had given him the chance to see how she did things on the farm and he replicated it well. He didn’t want to let her down. The night that she was meant to come home, he decided to clean her house for her. It would make her home coming better, he thought. _You might even get something out of it_. Changing the bed sheets made his mind turned to the wrong thoughts. He just wanted to see her happy. She probably didn’t even want him warming her bed at night, to love him like he loved her. No. Her happiness made him happy. That was all that mattered. Once everything had been done, he made his way to the saloon where Victoria had agreed to meet everyone that evening.

 

Farmer

She remembered running for her bike. She remembered driving home without her helmet. She must have been doing well over the speed limit. She just wanted to be home, to be safe. She remembered pulling into the farm and parking, more like throwing, the bike. She’d worry about it later. She needed help.

Blood was everywhere. The air stank of it. She always hated the smell of iron.

Farmer took another couple of steps forward, clinging desperately to the wooden fence.

She couldn’t see straight. Everything was spinning.

She had to get to town. She just had to. She needed help.

 

Shane 

The town seemed empty without her. She had only been gone a few days but it was clear that everyone missed her. Jas had even cried at one point because she couldn’t spend time with the Farmer. Everyone had gathered at the saloon that evening to see her except for the kids and some parents. Harvey and Elliot were sat at the corner of the bar, close to where Shane usually stood. Obviously to try and pull the Farmers attention away from him. The bar was happily chatting away when Harvey had a phone call.

“Farmer! Hello where are yo—“ Though the phone wasn’t on loud speaker, Shane could still hear the desperate pleas of someone in need of help. The Saloon started to get quieter. “Try and keep calm. I need you to slowly tell me where you are so we can come and find you.” The desperate pleas had become quieter. “Farmer? Come on please tell us.” By this time most of the Saloon were on their feet, prepared to leave at a moments noticed.

_Click_

“FARMER?!” Shane could hear the dull tone of a cancelled phone call and his heart dropped. Everyone ran outside to try and find her. He couldn’t comprehend the thought of her being hurt and scared. He needed to find her, to make sure she was safe.

“SHE’S HERE!! HELP ME!” Elliot’s cries were heard across the town. He had found her in the alleyway between her house and the town centre. She had been trying to get to them. She was covered in blood and bruises; he could only just see her breathing. Collecting her up in his arms he ran to the Clinic where Harvey was holding open the door. Everything from then on was a blur. Voices nothing more than dull tones. Marnie had to pry Shane away from the Farmer so that she could receive proper medical attention.

Everyone sat in the waiting room desperate for news from Harvey and Maru. After what seemed like forever, they both emerged from the back room. Both exhausted and covered in blood.

“She’ll be fine. She’s not awake yet but she’s safe and that’s what matters. She will probably have to stay with me at the clinic until she gets stronger so if someone could keep an eye on the farm for her, I’m sure she would be grateful.” A relief for everyone. Mayor Lewis gave jobs to everyone to help out Victoria whilst she was in the hospital. Shane heard his name mentioned but he didn’t hear details. All he was focused on was getting to Victoria and holding her tight. He wanted to see her. He needed to tell her that he loved her. He’d known his feelings for a while but was too scared to tell her. What a fool he was. He was now at risk of losing her forever. Gradually everyone left. Everyone except him. Harvey had tried to persuade him to go home with Marnie’s help but to no avail. There was only one thing he wanted. After they finally gave up, Shane took his place by Victoria’s bed side. Her face covered in bruises and cuts. Harvey had said that she had suffered knife wounds to her arms and legs. Shane cried that night whilst he held her hand praying to whatever gods were out there to give her back.


	8. The Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER IS SHIT  
> Please forgive me ;-;

Victoria

She began to regain consciousness. She could hear voices somewhere around her. The smell of the room told her that she was in Harvey’s clinic. She was safe. She tried to open her eyes but they wouldn’t budge. Her arms wouldn’t lift. Even the attempts of trying to move were enough to send her back into a deep sleep.

She woke again. She didn't know how long it had been. No voices were heard. Just a deep breathing, as if someone was sleeping, and a hand holding hers. She again tried to open her eyes. She was delighted to find that they obeyed. The bright light was harsh at first but eventually it calmed. Carefully, she turned her head to see who was at her side.

Shane. He slept silently. His eyes red raw. Had he been crying? She tried to turn onto her side to get more comfortable but her body protested, causing her to cry out in pain and wake Shane up. His eyes frantically searched for the source of her pain before she finally settled down. Neither of them said a word to each other, Victoria just wanted to appreciate his company more than anything else right now. After what seemed like an eternity, it was Shane that spoke first.

“Victoria…Before you say anything, I want to tell you something. The past 48 hours have been hell. But it made me realise something important.” He paused as if to wait for a response from Victoria before continuing. “I love you. I guess I have for a while but I was too scared to tell you. I was scared you would reject me but after all this…I’m willing to take the risk. So…will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?” He raised his hand and pointed to the dresser without taking his eyes off of her. She look over and on the bedside table, in a vase, sat a beautiful bouquet of roses. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Yes…”

 

Shane

Relief filled him. She had said yes. He couldn’t help but hold her as tightly as he could without causing her harm. It’s all he wanted. For 10 minutes he held her until she seemed to squirm out of the embrace and make to stand up. Her body seemed to protest at every move she made. Calling for Dr Harvey, he sat her back down and tried to get her as comfortable as possible. Harvey entered carrying a clipboard and what seemed to be pain killers.

“Victoria…you need to stay in bed. Not 48 hours ago we found you lying in a pool of your own blood. You need to rest.”

“I can rest in my own home thank you. I’ll be comfier too.” Harvey let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry Victoria but until I think its safe for you to leave, you won’t be going anywhere. I can’t risk you damaging yourself even more.”

“But—“

“No buts Victoria. I’m not doing this out of spite. I’m doing this to keep you safe. If I let you go home, I think the entire town would be after my ass for not looking after you properly.” Shane kept his eye on Victoria as her breathing seemed to get quicker and shallower. Sweat formed on her forehead and her whole body had started shake.

“Come on…lay back down and rest.” Shane tried to help her lay back down but all she wanted to do was get up and leave. Shane and Harvey had to deal with this for 10 minutes before Victoria finally gave up due to exhaustion. He felt horrible for having to leave her there but it was for the best. Harvey gestured to Shane to follow him into the waiting room. Once there Harvey turned to Shane with his serious doctor look.

“Shane you need to go home. You need rest too.”

“But—“  
“No Buts. Yoba its like deja vu. You need to go home and rest as well. You’ve been at her bedside for two days straight not moving anywhere. She’s been awake now and you know she’s okay. Just go home and sleep.” Shane sighed and looked at the floor. He didn’t realise how tired he was. Or hungry.

“Fine…I’ll go. But if anything happens you phone me immediately. I want to know.”

“Yes Shane. I will.”

“Thanks Doc.” Shane went home and found Marnie sat at the kitchen table. She ran around making his food and asking him all sorts of questions but in the end, he couldn’t answer them. He couldn’t think straight because of how tired he really was. His sleep was broken that night and he was dragged from what little sleep he had due to receiving a phone call from Dr Harvey.

“Shane, shes gone.” He froze.

“What do you mean GONE?”

“I came downstairs to check on her this morning and her bed is empty, clothes gone. Even her medical file.” Shane began to panic. Where could she have gone in her state? Putting the phone down on Harvey, Shane quickly got dressed and ran up to the farm. There was no sign of her there. There were only…tire marks? He recalled the night when he found out she used to be in a gang. One of the guys had mentioned a bike. Maybe she’d kept it. He followed the tracks out of the farm and…to the road. Wherever she had gone, it was far away from there. Shane spent the day looking after the farm, grumbling on and on about how stupid Victoria was being. She was fucking injured, nearly dying at one point and yet three days later she’s left the damn town. Where could she have gone? It didn’t take long for Shane to find out. It was around 4.30 and a majority of the adults had met at the saloon. No matter how hard they had tried they couldn’t find Victoria. Sebastian had even gone out on his own bike to see where she had gone but couldn’t find anything. The mood was grim. Emily gave a little squeak from behind the bar and seemed to be frantically looking for something. No one had been paying attention to her so they didn’t know what was up. Eventually she lifted up a TV remote. Turning on the TV, the news was just tuning in.

“Breaking news from Zuzu City. The trial of Damien Lews, more commonly known by the public as The Left Hand of God, has been interrupted by a young woman claiming to be the victim, Victoria Snow. Nearly a year ago, a young man named Rhys Waters and Victoria Snow were found beaten in an alleyway. Rhys didn’t survive the attack and Victoria disappeared shortly after. The evidence that had been taken from the two pointed to Damien and he was arrested shortly after.” The whole bar stood there, mouths agape. Victoria had gone back to the city, to the trial of the man who had hurt her and killed Rhys to testify against him? Everyone stood there in shock at the broadcast continued.

“We now go live to the courtroom where the trial has been told to continue despite Miss Snow’s interruption.”

 

Victoria

Victoria stood in front of the judge shaking. She hadn’t really thought about what she was doing until she had done it.

“So you are stating that you are Victoria Snow? The surviving victim of the crime who just happened to disappear after it?”

“I am sir.” she placed her passport and drivers license on the dock for the judge to see. “I was told after the incident that I should move away to the countryside to try and recuperate, that it might help with any trauma I was to suffer. I tried to lead a normal life here after the attack but it got too much so I moved to Pelican Town as it was left to me by my grandfather.” The judge looked at her questionably before he motioned for her to sit, much to the dismay of the defendant and his lawyer. She didn’t realise how far into the trial it was until they started revising the evidence that had been seen. All that was left was some new evidence recently uncovered by an anonymous member of the public. Some footage of the night in question which apparently captured what had happened. Victoria was shocked that this wasn’t already on the list. Shouldn’t the police had checked that straight away?

The judge peered at Victoria with intrigued eyes, “did you know about this evidence?”

“No sir. I did not.”

“Interesting…”

“Lies, your honour. I believe that this new evidence is a forgery against my client by this woman. How convenient of her to show up just at the right time.” The judge lifted his hand silencing him.

“Sir, the footage has been checked by digital experts who have confirmed that the evidence has not been tampered with in any way. I was just surprised that a woman of her background was not aware of the cameras that were close to that alley.” That seemed to shut the defending laywer up. Facing the prosecuting party, the judge listened to what was said. All she could hear was the lawyer going on about Rhys’ murder and as hard as it was, she needed to listen. To know what footage had been captured. It turns out that Damien Lews had not been as careful as he thought he had. One of the officers rolled in a TV and on it was security footage of that evening. Of her and Rhys walking happily walking down the street before they were pulled into the alleyway. On the top of the screen, it was hard to see but it was possible to see a little bit of what had happened to her before Rhys was killed and the men ran away. Damien’s face said it all. There was no getting out of this now and he knew it. For the rest of the trial he sat there with his head in his hands whilst his lawyer was trying his best to save his client but it wasn’t enough. It only took the jury 20 minutes of conversation to decide the verdict. Guilty of all charges.

“Damien Lews, you have been found guilty of murder and grievous bodily harm. You’re sentencing will be carried out tomorrow at noon.” Victoria felt all the tension that she had been holding. It was done. He was going to be sentenced. Probably to life in prison. The finishing statements from the judge were a blur. As soon as she could she raced to her bike, ignoring all those around her. She wanted to get home.

~~~

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, she pulled up in her front yard and went into the house.

Toeing off her shoes by the front door, she noticed a familiar pair. He wasn’t in the front room or kitchen so Victoria headed towards her bedroom.

Sat there on the bed was Shane. He didn’t look impressed one bit.

“You left.”

“I did.”

“Do you understand how stupid that was?”

“I do.”

“What if something had have happened to you and no one was around? You could have gotten hurt again?”

“Shane please…I know you’re upset but I needed to go.”

“How did you even find out?”

“I received a text from Marie. It said that his trial was nearly over and it wasn’t looking good. I needed to go. Needed to make sure he didn’t get away with it. Even if it meant putting me at risk.” Shane looked at his hand and sighed before patting the bed at the side of him. Once Victoria sat down, he immediately reached over and pulled her into a hug. The familiar scent of peppers and chickens on Shane helped Victoria feel safe. She’d also started to feel sleepy which, after the past few days, wasn’t surprising in the least. Eventually the two of them got comfortable underneath the covers and Victoria slept peacefully that night, knowing that the man who had caused her so much pain was going to be spending a long time behind bars and she was wrapped in the arms of the man she loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For me, it feels like I've rushed this chapter so I'm sorry if it seems that way. One more chapter to go.
> 
> Pre-warning: the last chapter will contain smut. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	9. Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ADULT THEMES
> 
> IF YOU CAN'T COPE WITH READING SUCH THINGS THEN PLEASE BACK OUT NOW.
> 
> OTHERWISE, PLEASE COLLECT YOUR SIN BAGS AND CARRY ON READING!

It was winter. Victoria spent most of her evenings at home with Shane during this time. Nearly a year had gone by since they had decided to start dating and other thoughts were now circulating in her head. She just needed the right time. That evening they had decided to curl up in bed together and watch a film. The fire lit the room just enough so that Victoria could admire Shane for the beautiful man he was. God how she adored him.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Can’t I look at the man I love?” a rosy blush spread across his cheeks.

“O-of course you can…but why?”

“Because I want to admire you. You’re a very handsome man and deserve all the admiring that you get.” He chuckled at the statement before catching her lips. She could sense the passion and the gentleness though that kiss.

“Here…let me sit behind you. You’re in need of a back massage I think…” He motioned to move behind her whilst pulling off her bed t-shirt.

“Oh really? You a professional?” Shane laughed

“Shush and just enjoy, okay?” he shifted himself so that he sat behind her and began to gently soothe and massage her aching shoulders and back. Each time his hands moved, it felt like fire was spreading throughout. Not through pain…not at all. Through pleasure. A small moan escaped her lips as Shane began to gently press kisses against the length of her neck and across her shoulders. She was no longer thinking but feeling and responding to each of his gentle caresses. As he continued kissing her neck, he reached his arms under hers to cup her breasts. A gasp of surprised and pleasure tore from her as he began to use his thumbs to gently brush against her nipples. Closing her eyes, she leant back and relaxed herself against him. Her skin tingling upon contact with his chest. With his left hand continuing to play with her breast, he moved his right hand down. A multitude of sensations had been collecting in between her legs and her legs parted for whatever Shane was going to deliver. He started to explore her as gently as he could, watch Victoria for any sign of pleasure or discomfort. Shane captured his lips and her moans were caught in her throat. Letting go of her, he laid her down and moved himself to be on top of her. Though dazed at first, the sudden realisation of Shane on top of her caused her to freeze. Even after a year, Victoria still found it difficult to have someone put pressure on her chest because of the trauma. It made her panic and she was praying desperately that the feeling would go away as it was spoiling the moment for her. Shane, who had seen this happen many times before, noticed the signs and, in one unbroken movement, rolled onto his back and brought her across him so that she straddled him.

“There…now you can stare at me all you like…” he said with a smirk glued to his face.

“Oh don’t worry…I’m going to do more than stare.” She leant down and captured his lips before reaching underneath herself to grip his cock. A moan was caught in his throat as Victoria began to stroke him, gently at first before building up speed. His moans filled the cabin and the pressure was beginning to build.

“Vic…please…” Shane began to beg for the sweet relief that she could bring him.

“What babe? What do you want?” she asked with a smirk. Shane growled.

“I want you to fuck me. Please Vic. Don’t leave me hanging. Not like last time” Victoria chuckled. The last time they had got started, Victoria had fallen asleep due to over exhaustion. Victoria grabbed a condom from the bedside drawer and put it on him before easing herself onto him. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds that Shane was making. It turned her on so damn much to hear him moan. Shane reached up and cupped his hands on her hips and began rocking himself against her. They both quickly found their rhythms and built up speed, moans escaping from their mouths. The moments spun together and Shane eased himself up to capture one of her nipples in his mouth, catching her by surprise. Victoria threw her head back and arched her spine as a series of pleasure spasms rocked through her body. Shane groaned as he felt her spasms and tried to prolong her pleasure for as long as he could stand. He then thrust himself three times before sweet relief came to him. They sat there motionless for a few seconds, holding each other and enjoying the closeness before Victoria sat back and admired the man she sat on. ‘It’s time’ she thought. She reached over to her dresser and before Shane could see what was happening, Victoria placed a Mermaid’s Pendant around his neck.

“Wha?!” He stared at her in disbelief.

“Shane. I want you to be my husband. I want to be able to show you how much I love you every day for the rest of my life. I want to be there through the highs and the lows and everything in between. Please. Will you marry me?” Tears had begun to run down Shane’s cheeks. He tried to speak but couldn’t seem to find the words. He nodded his head vigorously and held her in response, burying his head into her neck where he sobbed.

“I love you…so damn much.”

“I know. I love you so damn much too. More than I could ever show” They held each other tight that night and all Victoria could think was how happy she was. How after everything that happened, she had still managed to find her happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Black Bird!
> 
> I want to thank all those who have supported me and my work throughout, I'm very grateful for your support.
> 
> If there is enough interest, I may be willing to do an extra one shot story which will be a sequel to this. 
> 
> The next piece I will be writing is an ElliotXFemaleFarmer story so please look forward to that. Any suggestions for the Female Farmers name, I'm interested to hear them.
> 
> Thank you so much again for all your support.
> 
> Shelly xo


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